Books by Gary Graybill

Sunday, August 11, 2013

Mexico Releases Drug Lord - US Rightfully Pissed Off

The US is angry (very, very angry) because of the early release by a Mexico court of a drug lord who served 28 years of a 40 year sentence in prison for the kidnap and murder of a US agent.

The Mexican court cut Rafael Caro Quintero's 40-year sentence for the 1985 killing of US Drug Enforcement agent Enrique Camarena. It ruled that Caro Quintero, now 60, should have been tried in a state rather than a federal court.

The US Drug Enforcement Agency said the unannounced move as "deeply troubling" (diplomatic code for WTF?).

The murder put a strain US-Mexico relations and changed the war on drugs trafficking.

Caro Quintero is still listed as one of the DEA's five top international fugitives, and the US authorities believe he has been controlling drugs money from behind bars.

"DEA will vigorously continue its efforts to ensure Caro-Quintero faces charges in the United States for the crimes he committed," said the agency in a statement.

One of three founding members of the Guadalajara Cartel, Caro Quintero had been arrested in Costa Rica amid a massive manhunt for cartel leaders. The group was thought to be responsible for transporting the majority of the cocaine consumed in the US in the 1980s.

Caro Quintero could have faced other charges or possible extradition to the US, but walked free early on Friday before anyone was notified or had time to act.

The court did not clear Caro Quintero of Camarena's death. That would have caused significant outrage in US law enforcement circles where the murdered DEA operative is heralded as a hero. Many analysts believe the Camarena killing represented a key turning point in the fight against drug trafficking in Mexico. It broke up the Guadalajara Cartel into splinter groups, which formed the basis of today's powerful drug gangs.